A Phone Call from the Past
by Kristen3
Summary: Mary and Rhoda are both caught up in their lives, having lost touch with one another years ago. But one unexpected phone call brings them back together. Post-series one-shot. Set sometime in the mid-90's.


**Author's Note:**Though I've been in the fanfiction world for a while now, I haven't written an MTM story in quite some time. I sincerely hope that this is in character. Please don't flame! I am aware that this could be continued/expanded into a longer story, but I honestly don't know where I'd go from here. So I figured the best thing to do was write and post it as a one-shot. If anyone would like to write a sequel, feel free!

Mary Richards loved her job. In the years since she'd left WJM, she'd had very little trouble finding work. She was now with one of the top news stations in Minneapolis. In fact, she was the first female news director the station had ever had. It was a stressful job, with many long hours, but she didn't mind. Luckily, she found that not all anchormen were like Ted Baxter. That in itself was reason enough to keep going to work each day.

Unfortunately, the life she lived came with a few sacrifices. One was her love-life. She found that she no longer had the time to date as she had years ago. But the men of Minneapolis hadn't really improved much anyway. Sure, there were a few lonely nights here and there, but work kept her occupied, and there was no doubt in her mind that her work mattered. She often reminded herself how lucky she was, since she hadn't had much of a chance to take pride in her work at WJM. But everything was different now.

One of those differences was that Mary no longer had close friends at work. People liked and respected her, but she didn't throw dinner parties with them or see them outside the office. In a way, she was glad for this, as it put an end to her reputation for having such awful parties. Phyllis and Rhoda weren't even really a part of her life anymore. Phyllis was doing God knows what out in San Francisco. Mary still received a Christmas card from her every year, but that was the extent of it. She really didn't miss Phyllis all that much. Rhoda, however, was a different story. There was no single moment, no argument that had ended the friendship. But, after she'd finally recovered from the end of her marriage, her art career had taken off. It had happened at approximately the same time that Mary found her niche in the world of TV news. With them both being so busy, not to mention several thousand miles apart, they had lost touch. But that was all about to change.

Mary stood near the cameraman, watching as the anchors read the top headlines of the day. Suddenly, her cellphone in her pocket began to vibrate. She wondered who would be calling. After all, she was in the middle of a live broadcast, and almost every person she knew was here. She took her phone out, and was startled by what she saw on the caller ID: A 201 area code. This call was coming from New York. Somehow, Mary knew immediately who it was. She whispered to one of the camera operators that she had to take a phone call. She left the set as quickly as she could. Her heart pounded as she pressed the button to accept the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, kid." The voice was unmistakable.

"Rhoda!" Just the sound of her best friend's voice made her feel an intense rush of relief.

"Yeah, it's me. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Too long," Mary agreed. "So...what are you up to?" Mary had a thousand questions, and it was difficult to know which to ask first.

Rhoda sighed. "I've been working like crazy, trying to get a few pieces together for an art show. Suddenly, I realized it's been weeks since I've talked to anyone who _doesn't_ want to if I'm going to be ready in time."

Mary smiled. Apparently she wasn't the only one who was caught up in her work. "I know the feeling. How did you find me?"

"Actually, I Googled you. Never thought I'd see the day when I'd have to use a search engine to find my best friend!"

"Well, I'm glad you did. I've been working so much these days, I barely have a personal life." Mary paused. "I miss you."

"Me, too," Rhoda agreed. "If it weren't for Brenda, it would be just me and my art. Of course I've had no luck in the men department. I guess some things never change!"

Mary laughed. She couldn't believe how good it felt to talk to Rhoda again. Suddenly, she felt as if she'd gone back in time, and it was 1974. But she realized that this wasn't exactly the time or place to catch up with her. Mary asked for Rhoda's number, and Rhoda gave it.

Later that night, they spent several hours on the phone. They'd filled each other in on the past several years. Mary was saddened to hear that both of Rhoda's parents had passed away. Mary had always felt a strange connection to the Morgensterns. In turn, Mary told Rhoda all she knew about her former co-workers from WJM. They didn't all keep in touch as they'd always promised. Life got in the way. But Mary was grateful for the love and memories, which she knew would stay with her forever.

It seemed as if they would never run out of things to say to each other. But of course, why would they, when they'd always told each other everything? Still, it began to get late. Rhoda was shocked when she looked at the clock and realized it was now well past midnight. Being an artist, she didn't really keep a schedule as she had during her window-dressing days. Staying up all night was certainly nothing new for her, especially when a burst of inspiration hit. But she really did have a lot of work to do. The deadline for the art show was fast approaching. "Mare, I really hate to say this to you, but I've gotta go," Rhoda finally said.

Mary sighed. "Yeah, I should, too. But hey, I run the whole news department, so it's not like anyone will get mad if I show up a little late tomorrow. In fact, I could probably use a few days of vacation."

Rhoda didn't need to hear another word. "As soon as my art show is over, I'll be on the next plane!" After a few more minutes of goodbyes and promises to keep in touch, they finally hung up. After Mary put the phone down, she thought back over all of her memories with Rhoda. Their first meeting, when Rhoda had tried to "steal" Mary's new apartment. The time they'd stopped speaking for a week, and both found themselves miserable, and the time they'd stayed up all night writing obituaries. Memories flooded her mind, making her smile even more. Back then, life had been so easy. Mary had no idea how lucky she was. But now, she understood what a wonderful gift a friend like Rhoda was. She was much wiser than she'd been back when she first moved to Minneapolis. Before, she'd taken a lot of things in life for granted. She would not make that mistake again.

**The End**


End file.
